CrowdGadgets 33 | We’re back!
Download: CrowdGadgets Podcast Archive
After taking off last weekend for the holidays, the hosts of CrowdGadgets are back to talk about the biggest gadget news of the past two weeks, including the release of the Nokia Lumia 900 on AT&T and the announcement of the HTC EVO 4G LTE for Sprint. We also give our take on Google’s Project Glass, phone upgrade fees, and much more, so this is an episode you really won’t want to miss!
01:15 – HTC EVO 4G LTE announcement, discussion
07:10 – LG Viper 4G announced
09:51 – HTC EVO 3D headed to Virgin Mobile
11:31 – Toshiba announces Excite line of tablets
12:44 – Nokia Lumia 900 discussion
19:31 – Nokia Lumia 610 to get NFC capabilities
21:20 – Amazon Wireless leaves beta
23:56 – Verizon makes upgrade fee more expensive
27:03 – RIM begins BlackBerry Challenge Counsel
28:33 – Google’s Project Glass discussion
33:38 – Calob’s iPhone revelation
37:50 – ZTE Optik review
Hosts: Calob Horton, John Freml, Stuart Cope, and William Devereux
Podcast Editor: Calob Horton
Newsletter Editor: John Freml
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CrowdGadgets is the official podcast of the CrowdGather Gadget Network, which includes Anythingbutiphone, Anythingbutipod, Good and EVO, Nothing But Tablets, Pocketables, StreakSmart, and Zune Boards. Read the latest news from the network below.
News from around the CrowdGather Gadget Network
Anythingbutiphone
Nokia just released the long-awaited Lumia 900 to much fanfare, topping Amazon’s sales charts and exceeding AT&T’s expectations. However, some customers were hit by an annoying data bug, although the Finnish manufacturer responded by giving everyone a $100 rebate and rapidly deploying an update. So if Nokia’s excellent customer service has you impressed, be sure to take a look at our unboxing video, and then go Behind the Tiles.
Anythingbutipod
Rockbox has released another firmware update for portable media players, and improvements include USB support for the Sansa Clip+, Clip v2, and Fuze v2; improved stability; a few interface improvements to allow for more customization; and support for downmixing of multichannel FLAC files to stereo. This update comes just four months after the group’s previous release, which also happened to coincide with its tenth anniversary.
Good and EVO
As EVO fans across the US wait for EVO 4G LTE preorders to begin on May 7, be sure to read our take on why the integrated, non-removable battery is not the end of the world. Indeed, with HD voice, a kickstand, unlimited LTE for the same price as before, and much more, the newest EVO is sure to be a hit. Meanwhile, you can also see our reviews of the Voltaic Fuse 4W solar charger and the Seidio Innotraveler Car Kit for the EVO 3D.
Nothing But Tablets
Toshiba just announced the new Excite series of tablets, which includes a model with a 13.3-inch screen. But if you can’t wait for one of those, then you might want to pick up the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 or 10.1, which are both coming soon. We also put the remote desktop app Splashtop to the test after a monitor disaster and found it to be very reliable even after several days. Finally, check out our take on backing up and syncing game saves with Dropsync.
Pocketables
ZTE announced a while ago that it wants to take the US by storm, and one device it hopes will accomplish this goal is the Optik, a Sprint tablet that’s just $99 on-contract. But is it right for you? Check out our review to find out! Also, if you’re in the market for a smartphone, you can see our take on the LG Spectrum, or listen to Calob explain why he’ll never buy another iPhone. Finally, learn how you can use your Android as a DSLR remote!
StreakSmart
It seems that Dell doesn’t really care much about its Streak line of phones and tablets in the US anymore, but that doesn’t mean the Round Rock-based computer company has entirely abandoned the Streak’s software development. In fact, Dell recently posted revisions to the Streak 5’s kernel, bringing it up to versions 4.05 and 4.07. However, while the release isn’t official quite yet, we’d guess that it will be soon.
Zune Boards
While most Windows Phone 7 power users really enjoyed the ChevronWP7 service, it has now gone the way of the dinosaurs and is closed for good. Speaking of dinosaurs, be sure to take part in our discussion about whether or not you still use your Zune, or even when it last saw the light of day. And finally, following the release of the allegedly “perfect” Lumia 900, let us know if you now have phone envy.